TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chinese authorities report that at least 11 people have died and 30 are missing after a highway bridge partially collapsed in the northwest following heavy storms and flooding. Similarly, in the southwest, dozens of houses were destroyed by storms, leaving a comparable number of people unaccounted for.
According to the official Xinhua News Agency, five vehicles that fell from the bridge in Shaanxi province have been recovered after it crumbled around 8:40 p.m. on Friday. A photo released by Xinhua shows a section of the bridge snapped and folded nearly 90 degrees into the rushing brown water below.
Rescue operations continued Saturday in Zhashui county, Shaanxi, with approximately 20 cars and 30 people still missing.
In Sichuan province to the southwest, about 30 people are missing, and around 40 houses were destroyed by flooding and storms, Xinhua reported. Roads, bridges, and communication networks in the hardest-hit Hanyuan county have been damaged or knocked out. Rescue teams have been working since before dawn to restore communications and transport connections.
China’s rapid economic growth over recent decades led to the construction of an extensive network of highways, high-speed railways, and airports, contributing to further growth. However, the decline in economic expansion, poor-quality infrastructure, inadequate safety supervision, and cost-cutting measures by industries have resulted in a series of deadly accidents.
The western and southwestern provinces of China are particularly susceptible to flooding and landslides due to their mountainous terrain and powerful rivers. Activities such as mining, tourism, and urbanization have disrupted the delicate balance with the natural environment maintained over thousands of years.
Shaanxi is renowned as a central hub of Chinese civilization, home to the first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, who left the famed terracotta army as part of his vast tomb complex near the capital Xi’an, attracting numerous visitors each year.